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Articles tagged “pool”

The best from the weird and wacky world of tourist complaints

by Scott Carmichael on Sep 17, 2009

We tourists are a curious bunch – apparently, by paying for our trip, some of us feel we are entitled to absolute perfection. In this lineup, we’ve listed several of the most insane lawsuits taken to court by tourists.

Have you ever encountered something so ridiculous on a trip, that you had to take your case to court?

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The case of the slutty Dutch girl and the kitchen staff

A Dutch family visited the judge demanding a full refund of their vacation, as well as compensation for having to move to a new resort.

Apparently the situation at their original resort was unbearable, forcing them to relocate to a more expensive location.

What the Dutch forgot to tell the court, was that their daughter had slept with the entire kitchen staff, forcing hotel management to fire most of them.

Verdict: case dismissed

The case of the stupid locals enjoying their own beach

A German couple pleaded their case at the local court, demanding compensation for a spoiled vacation.

The 2 Germans were very upset that their (public) Mauritian beach was also being used by locals. And obviously, the one thing that can spoil a vacation, is having to interact with the people that actually live there.

Verdict: local judge throws case into a local trash can

The case of the outhouse is not an acceptable bathroom?

A Swedish tourist visited his court to beg for a full refund of his vacation.

His complaint? His remote farm destination lacked in-building bathroom facilities, and he was forced to use an outhouse. Apparently this was just too much for him to deal with.

Verdict: case ended up in the crapper

The disturbing case of the do not disturb sign

It takes a special level of stupid to mistake the do not disturb sign on the inside of your door for a warning to stay in your room. That didn’t prevent one tourist from filing an official complaint asking for her money back.

When she arrived at her hotel, she got to her room, and stayed there for several days, claiming the hotel staff forced her to stay indoors. After a little digging, the court found that she saw the sign, and mistook it for a “don’t you dare leave this room” sign.

Verdict: This woman probably does need to be locked in a room somewhere.

The case of the loud mosque

A Dusseldorf court listened to the rants of a German tourist demanding his money back. His vacation had been ruined by the daily call for prayer at a local Turkish mosque. In the weird little world of this tourist, calls for prayer are to be silenced when he’s enjoying his vacation.

Verdict: Stupid tourist should be forced to listen to “case dismissed” every day for a week.

The case of the snores galore

Snoring people are everywhere – including airplanes. However, when a German tourist was treated to several hours of loud snoring on his flight to South Africa, instead of just chalking it up to another annoyance of air travel, he went to court to demand a full refund.

Sadly for him, the court had to explain to him that snoring people are just part of life, and told him to stop wasting their time.

Verdict: a snooze case

The case of the super fertile pool water!

There have been many stories of immaculate conception in history. But none was as weird as the story of a Polish girl that got impregnated through the pool water at their Egyptian resort.

The mother of the girl insisted that her daughter did not have sex, and that the only explanation had to be the filthy sperm infested waters of the hotel pool.

Verdict: This case is dead in the water

The case of nobody told me the fire could burn me

Burning Man may not be the kind of vacation destination suitable for everyone, but 50,000 people make the trip each year. This year, one visitor walked around the large bonfire, getting closer and closer each time.

Eventually, he tripped, and fell right into the flames, burning his hands. Because nobody had told him about the dangers of fire, he took his case to court demanding someone pay him for his stupidity.

Verdict: case fizzles out

The curious case of too many Germans

Brits and Germans have a very special relationship when they are abroad. And by special, I mean they hate each other.

Germans steal all the pool chairs in the morning, and Brits get drunk and wake the Germans up very early, forcing them to get up even earlier for their pool chairs (pardon the stereotypes).

One British tourist had enough – he took a trip to court demanding his cash back. His complaint? His travel agent had failed to mention that his destination was also popular with Germans. And apparently, too many Germans is enough to completely spoil your vacation.

Verdict: Klage abgewiesen!

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Top ten extraordinary hotel pools of the world

by Scott Carmichael on Sep 3, 2009

Hotel price comparison site Trivago, has compiled a list of the most amazing hotel pools in the world. Each of these pools has something amazing to offer – from an infinity edge pool overlooking the Hong Kong Harbor, to a secluded resort pool nestled between the Arizona Boynton Canyon mountains – these are truly the most extraordinary hotel pools in the world.

The top ten lineup is:

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Hollywood Roosevelt pool comes alive at night

by Mike Barish on Jul 15, 2009

When is a pool more than just a pool? When you’re staying at the Hollywood Roosevelt in Los Angeles. Continuing Gadling’s Hotel Month coverage, I’m here to tell you about how the Hollywood Roosevelt has taken their gorgeous pool space and turned it into a hot spot for evening activities. Since most hotels don’t allow for night swimming, I was confused when I was told about the Hollywood Roosevelt’s rich schedule of events by the pool. But silly me, I assumed that all you can do at the pool is swim. One should never assume, and the Hollywood Roosevelt’s calendar of events taught me that lesson.

Perhaps the coolest event at the Hollywood Roosevelt’s pool is Movie Monday. Every week, a different celebrity or filmmaker hosts a viewing. A large screen is set up poolside and, after the sun sets, the fun starts. The featured host shares explains to the attendees why they have selected that movie and why its so special to them. Then everyone cozies up enjoys the film. Something about having the sky above and palm trees all around you makes a multiplex seem unnecessary.

Tuesdays are swim nights. Yes, one night a week the hotel allows night swimming. Resident and guest DJs provide the soundtrack while people frolic in the romantically lit pool.

On Thursday, guests can scope out the scene at Hollywoodland: the hotel’s weekly homage to old Hollywood. As you drink poolside, music plays and synchronized swimmers perform. While the rest of LA attempts to be trendy, the Hollywood Roosevelt harkens back to a classier time in the town’s history.

On the weekends, the pool provides the scenery for patrons at the Tropicana, the hotel’s outdoor bar. Wednesday’s are left open for events and private parties.

It seems as if there’s always something going on at the Hollywood Roosevelt’s pool. You could start your day basking in the sun and end it watching a movie, taking a dip or just drinking the night away. The next morning you’ll realize that you never left the pool. And you’ll be OK with that.

Piss in the ocean, not in the pool and other TripAdvisor reader thoughts

by Tom Johansmeyer on Jul 11, 2009

So much of life is governed by “unwritten rules,” but beaches and pools are surprisingly short of convention to cite. Public opinion is all over the map on what matters most – and what can lead to a heated conversation. But, there are still a few hot buttons that irritate the world. According to a recent survey of 3,800 people by TripAdvisor, 69 percent encounter some breach of etiquette, with 13 percent taking the cynical view that everyone breaks these undocumented standards.

The most common violations at the beach and pool are hogging beach chairs, pissing in the water and littering, while the most annoying are loud music, smoking and, yet again, draining into the water … though you can get away with doing this in the ocean if you aren’t too close to anybody. And, in praise of double standards, more respondents believe that women can get away with skimpy beach gear than feel men should wear speedos.

So, what enrages?

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Hogging beach chairs: if you’re “saving” a chair for someone for to use later, 84 percent of TripAdvisor readers think you’re an asshole. According to a TripAdvisor Destination Expert, “My bugbear is when people throw a towel over one of the highly sought-after sun lounges/cabanas, and then go AWOL.”

“Bugbear”? Eh …

Unleashing the stream: 16 percent of survey respondents called this the most annoying breach of pool and beach etiquette, but 53 percent will piss in the ocean if nobody’s around.

Smokers blow: 82 percent want to ban poolside smoking, and 62 percent don’t want you puffing at the beach. Says one of these Destination Experts, “I can’t stand when on a crowded beach day people smoke one foot away from you, and then discard their butts in the sand…I don’t care at all if people choose to smoke as long as it doesn’t affect me or the beauty of the beach!”

Washing off not a big deal: 14 percent of travelers don’t bother to shower before they go into a pool (hell, it has all that chlorine anyway, right?), and 37 percent do so rarely. A substantial 69 percent find it acceptable not to bother cleaning up before swimming.

Stay away: if the beach isn’t crowded, 38 percent of respondents believe you should set up camp at least 20 feet away, and 22 percent think seven feet to 10 feet is acceptable. When the beach is crowded, you should stay at least six feet away. According to one of these TripAdvisor Destination Experts, “I find the perfect spot on the beach, far away from the intrusion of kids, pets, and game players. Then a family of 12 with undisciplined kids sits right next to me! When the beach is empty move over!”

Watch what you wear: 76 percent of respondents don’t think it’s a big deal for women to wear revealing bikinis (no word on whether hotness matters), but only 65 percent say the same for men and speedos. Only 14 percent think speedos are only appropriate in the United States. One of the Destination Experts is irritated by people who “either go topless or wear tiny little dental-floss bikinis on the beach or by the pool.” Again, I say don’t judge until you see the body that’s barely covered.

Want to learn more? Click here.

Kids and long airport layovers

by Brenda Yun on May 29, 2009

I was wandering the wide halls of Chicago O’Hare’s Terminal B early this morning when I spotted for the first time an enormously tall dinosaur skeleton. The parents of a young toddler tried to occupy their daughter by shooting photos of her standing next to the dinosaur’s feet.

It was 5:45 in the morning, and this young family were by far the most chipper travelers I’d seen. This got me thinking: what other fun things are there to do with kids at airports during long layovers? Who said long layovers had to be boring?

If you’re stopping through one of these airports, bring your kids to one of these fun spots.

Chicago O’Hare: There is a “Kids on the Fly” exhibit in Terminal 2 that features a mini-helicopter, cargo plan, and luggage station. Over in Terminal 5, you can visit the “Play it Safe” exhibit dedicated to teaching children about safety. Let’s not forget the four-story, 72-foot-long brachiosaurus skeleton on the upper level of Terminal 1 (jast as you pass through security in the B Concourse).
Seattle-Tacoma: There is a 1,400 square-foot play area filled with aviation-themed foam toys, including a baggage cart that can prepare little ones with adult flying.
San Francisco: Take a nine-minute ride on the AirTrain Red Line to the Aviation Library and Museum, where children can play in the Kids’ Spot and enjoy interactive weather-related exhibits.
Singapore Changi: Kids can take a dip in the Bali-themed rooftop pool.
Munich: The ball pit and giant LEGOs at Kinderland are a huge draw for kids. The advantage for parents: your child can be left there free of charge and watched by airport staff.